Tag: cracks

Apple’s Swift programming language it continuing its ascent through the coding ranks. According to a new quarterly ranking by developer-focused analyst firm RedMonk, Swift has entered the top 10 programming languages as indicated on GitHub and Stack Overflow. The rest of the top 10 (from no. 1 through no. 9) is comprised of JavaScript, Java, […]

OpenX, a leading independent advertising technology provider, announced Thursday that the company will ban from its exchange a group of video ad formats, including the 300×250 — one of the most prolific video ad units, that rank among the worst offenders of providing bad ad environments for consumers and advertisers in the industry today.

The move marks another industry-first initiative by the company to ensure the highest quality marketplace for brands, publishers and consumers.

300×250 video ads are a prime example of ads that provide a poor user experience. The 300×250 size does not match any standard video ad size and consists almost entirely of in-banner video (IBV), a video ad that is “stuffed” into a banner ad but sold as in-stream video inventory or mislabeled outstream units.

In a joint study with Pixalate, the data platform that offers a comprehensive suite of products that bring transparency to programmatic advertising, OpenX confirmed that the 300×250 video unit accounts for over 30 percent of all video sold programmatically today. The study also found that this particular video ad unit had Invalid Traffic (IVT) rates nearly a third higher than the average of all other programmatic video ad units sold today.

“Video is a rapidly growing part of the programmatic ecosystem, and as the medium matures, the industry needs to constantly stay ahead of format variations to ensure brands, publishers and consumers experience the highest quality video engagement,” said John Murphy, head of marketplace quality, OpenX. “Quality has always been a priority at OpenX, and this step confirms our conclusion that this ad unit has no place in any advertising exchange that values quality. Put simply, it is an ad unit that should be stopped in its tracks.”

According to a separate OpenX performance assessment of 300×250 video ads, the company also found that this particular ad size is 80 percent less viewable compared to all other video ad sizes and they are 98 percent less likely to be completed while visible and audible.

“Quality is a choice. Whether it is choosing to work only with TAG certified companies, or limiting ad buys to ads.txt approved partners, or, as in the case of video, choosing to work with partners that will put the interests of the entire ecosystem above short-term gain, we must expect every player in digital advertising to make quality and value central pillars of their business,” said Jason Fairchild, co-founder of OpenX.

Spotify may have 159 million active users, but only 71 million of those are paid subscribers. It makes sense that the company would want to maximize the number of paying customers, especially in light of the company's recent moves to go public. Now,…Engadget RSS Feed

Apple appears to be taking a harder stance against developers using its custom emoji font, known as Apple Color Emoji, even in the case of apps that have been using the art for years.AppleInsider – Frontpage News

MMW learned this morning that H Code Media — a leader in digital advertising for the US Hispanic market — is launching a new division called H Code Studio—a full-service content studio combining the identity of a brand, the storytelling of a production house, and the scale of a digital platform.

According to a provided release, the studio will be led by Jeffrey Duque and Diana Pieretti, formerly of IM Studio+/Impremedia.

This is the first time data science is being used to analyze audiences and identify segment insights of the US Hispanic market. These insights are being used to create new optimization solutions in a content studio. H Code Studio provides unique, fully integrated marketing solutions that are ownable, client-centric and culturally relevant, catered specifically to the US Hispanic market.

“Content marketing is the holy grail in today’s ever-changing, highly fragmented media market,” said Parker Morse, founder & CEO of H Code Media. “H Code Studio is fulfilling the growing demand for brands looking to produce compelling stories. The difference is that each one of H Code Studio’s products are backed by data. This layer of information, or science, will allow us to partake in multi-platform storytelling that outperforms our competitors and produces content that is proven to resonate in-market with US Hispanic consumers.”

Morse continued, “I look forward to the impact that Jeffrey and Diana will make, having worked with some of the world’s biggest brands, bringing years of experience and award-winning creativity to our clients and partners.”

Airbnb has a long history of legal struggles in various cities in which it operates. Now, according to a report in AFP, Paris has requested that Airbnb comply with new regulations to register with the city. If the company (along with four other compe…Engadget RSS Feed

Following years of complaints by users, Google is cracking down on Android apps that show shady ads on your lock screen, according to a new developer policy spotted by Android Police. That includes very popular ones like ES File Explorer, which has o…Engadget RSS Feed

Google officially launched its Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) in February 2016 to be lightweight versions of source websites that used a lot less bandwidth. But some webmasters have deliberately included less content in their AMP editions with a link…Engadget RSS Feed

It has been four weeks since Samsung launched the Galaxy Note8 and the flagship is rising quickly through the charts. According to stats by ad network AppBrain, the price did not scare off consumers and the phone already accounts for 1% of Androids in several key markets. In its home country of South Korea, the Note8 has a 1.7% market share and ranks the 17th most popular phone. In Australia and the United States, the phone boasts 1% share in less than a month of sales. Note that sales in Australia started a week later than the rest of the world, For comparison, the Galaxy S8 and…